Red
by SoundlessAngel
Summary: Flying out behind her, like a scarlet ship sailing on the sea, was her hair, floating effortlessly as the harsh wind that was whipping through the trees as she ran; away from her family, away from her father and away from the harsh life she had been living. Then again, she was no ordinary girl. (rated 'T' for language) OOC


Prologue - The Snow

Swirling and sparkling, spiralling up and down, floating around effortlessly on the wind, was the snow. As cold as ice, but as beautiful as an angel's wings, it twirled and twisted, leaving a thick blanket of white on the ground. Silently fell the snow, in intricate patterns, mesmerizing anyone that dared stare in to the designs for too long. Gone were the leaves off the trees, leaving them naked compared to the floor that was covered in the white sheet. Trails of red dotted the carpet in a trail breaking the once impeccable surface. It was beautifully evil in its own haunting way.

You would hear the soft beating of wings, feathery and white, above like a heartbeat. You would see a flash of red and black like a shooting star across the sky. Then no more, consumed in the swirling abyss of darkness for the rest of eternity. But, that is what you got for messing with the wrong bitch.

*RED*

Trees arched over, creating a poorly lit tunnel leading to a clearing that was littered in a thin sprinkling of snow, sheltered by the trees above. The faint pounding of footsteps could be heard in the clearing, along with the heavy breathing of a young girl as she ran by, her hair flew out behind her like a scarlet ship sailing on the rough seas. She ran from her family, ran from her past, ran from the voices that would haunt her forever, she ran to her future, a new life, a new world.

She came to a stop before a frozen river and pulled out her stele, that had belonged to her mother before she died. She drew a rune on to the snow. A detailed design of swirling lines, thick and black against the pristine whiteness of the ground. The rune shone, letting off a golden light, before disappearing completely into the snow. Seconds after it had disappeared a small opening started to crack in the ground, gradually revealing a set of stairs, descending down, deep into the earth under the river. She walked down the steps as the smell of damp earth wafted up under her nose and she was consumed into darkness. She continued forward into the tunnel, following the light of the opening on the other side of the water. The light momentarily blinded her as she ascended the second set of steps into the open and she continued to run.

Like a wolf, she persevered, pacing herself until she eventually collapsed onto the ground at the base of an old oak tree from exhaustion. Again she pulled out her stele, although, this time she turned to face the tree. She drew her dream. Carving an image deep into the bark, creating a permanent mark. The mark then started to warp the shape of the trunk as it glow blue, opening up into a water bubble - a portal.

She flopped through the spiralling blue, breathing heavily as she surface on the other side. The ally was dark and cobbled, making her feel more nauseous, from the lack of oxygen, the more steps she took. The eerie atmosphere of the street hung in the air like thick fog weighing down the world, crushing and scaring her from the inside out. It was the smell that first gave it away, before a group of grotesque looking demons rush round the corner into the alley. She unhooked the blade she had kept concealed underneath her emerald travelling cloak, drawing out holding it defensively in front of her petite figure. She whispered the name of her mother, "Jocelyn", under her breath and the blade sprung to life, lighting up the dark corners of the dead end as the demons crash forward in a wave of smell that made her to gag under the heavy stench, forcing her back in to the back corner of the alley. She braced herself as she took a step forward, towards the racing demons, her blade aloft as she started to do as she was trained - fight.

*RED*

They were all gone within a minute, leaving her drained, exhausted and gasping for breath, only the darkness for company. She wiped the seraph blade on her black sleeve, leaving a barely visible line of black blood in its place. She then placed the blade back inside her cloak, into its sheath.

She looked up again and took in the area surrounding her; there were five old wooden boxes stacked in one corner and in the other was a set of rusting stairs. A few piles of dead leaves lay scattered about the ground, occasionally being swept up and moved by harsh, wintery gusts of wind. The three walls she was surrounded by were made out of a dark coloured brick, and unlike the open end, that wasn't reflecting or giving off any light. Glowing with brightness, was the open end of the ally, where the shops and lights had made their home and sold happiness. Curiously, she stepped towards the nearing street, her heart pounding heavily in her chest from the anticipation and suspense of it. She had never seen a street before, she had never seen a real shop. Come to think of it, she had never been outside her father's sight. He had trained her at home, he had summoned the demons for her to fight into their garden and had stayed by her all the while. She had never been given the release to do anything she wanted, one step out of line and it was punishment, and the older she got the more vicious the punishments became. She had always wanted to be free and now she was.

She became dizzy at the thought of her father and struggled at her footing, although she quickly regained her balance, continuing forward. Eventually she became aware of the cloaked figure standing in the left hand side of her vision. The cloak was a royal blue, similar to the emerald one she owned herself, except this one sparkled and shone in the artificial light. The figure took a step towards her. He was sparkling in an array of colours giving him an air of magic. She was surprised at how threatened he made her feel but he smiled and kept decreasing the distance between them until he was only a few feet away. He was a lot taller than she was, bearing in mind she was only nine, and standing at a mere three and a half feet she was no match for this man. Looking closely she could see faint yellow eyes with a cat like pupil staring her out from under the cloak. The silence they were stood in was not only uncomfortable but unnerving to, she hadn't wanted a chance to think, to change her mind, to run back to her father.

It was strange, first to have been attacked, although she hadn't thought it so, and then to have this man come to her. No one had yet dared to speak and the anxiety of suspense was slowly eating her out from the inside until she finally burst. "Who are you?" She basically shouted at him. "What do you want from me?" She added quietly after.

"Oh, sweet child. I want nothing from you. I was merely sent her by the clave about the demon activity, but it seems like you, my dear, have dealt with it for me and I thank you. I would have hate to have got my new cloak dirty now." He pulled his cloak back revealing his face, sharp features and all. "You're a Warlock!" She exclaimed, resulting in him nodding in reply. "Magnus Bane at your service" He did a little bow.

"Wow, I've never seen a real Warlock before." He raised one eyebrow, giving her a quizzical look. "Surely my dear girl, you have?"

"No, I hadn't left the grounds of my house until this morning." He looked at her again.

"Why is that? Do you know? And how did you end up in a dark alley of all places?" She thought about this, should she tell him who she was? What the heck, no harm trying. "I got lost, I just wanted to be free from my father and… and I ended up here." He looked at her sympathetically as he felt her walls deteriorate in front of his eyes.

"Well little red, why don't you come back to my place and we can talk this over. Now, may I ask your name?"

"My names Clarissa, Clarissa Fairchild"

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading and supporting me. Please review and let me know what you think, how I could adapt the story and any grammar mistakes.<strong>

**- SoundlessAngel**


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